Last Friday we decided to take a field trip… Something I want to do more often this year, even if it is local, and even if it is just a walk in nature…. there is something to learn everywhere.
For this trip we went to Fort Walla Walla. Hunter has been listening to books on CD and has fallen in love with Farmer Boy and Little House on the Prairie, both by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Both of these books are set in the 1800′s and this museum has much to offer on that time period!
They have covered wagons, stagecoaches, log cabins, all furnished with period furniture, quilts, and cookware. There was enough farm equipment to keep any boy interested for hours figuring out what each piece was used for. We even tried to lift one plow, so that Hunter could see how difficult it might be to keep it in the ground, and going in a straight line, while it was being pulled by a mule, horse or ox. There was a great hands-on exhibit where the kids could decide what items they would need or not need in their covered wagon. It was a great exercise in prioritizing what would be a necessity during the trip, and what things you could make again or just plain do without.
There is plenty of history to be seen, and learned about, at Fort Walla Walla. There is Lewis and Clark Expedition history, civil war history, WWI and WWII history, as well as great information on the history of the region as a farming community, and the machines that helped the region grow.
Admission $ 7.00 for ages 12-adult
$3.00 for ages 6-12
under 6, free.
I recommend this place to anyone who lives in the following areas: Eastern Washington, North Eastern Oregon, Western Idaho. If you are planning a trip through Eastern Washington, try to make this part of your visit. It is budget friendly, and worth the time to see a little piece of history on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
